Father’s Day Gifts That Just May Make Him a Better Dad

When I asked my dad about something that made him a better dad, he promptly responded, “Café Bustelo,” specifically from the can. He’s a father of four ranging from ages 6 to 29 and says it helps him stay awake so he can keep up with us.

George Corsillo, father of Strategist writer Liza Corsillo, also recommends coffee, in this case, Four Sigmatic. “It’s ground coffee with added mushrooms, and it tastes great,” he says. The instant Arabica coffee contains five types of mushrooms — lion’s mane, chaga, cordyceps, reishi, and turkey tail — along with vitamin B12 and probiotics to support energy levels and gut health.

Jacob Cohen, whose son, Arlo, recently turned 2, says he loves this custom book of photos he received last Father’s Day from his wife, Liza Corsillo (see above). “My son and I enjoy looking at the book together and sharing about his first year of life,” he says. They’ve spent so much time with it that Arlo now picks it out from the shelf on his own. “It’s a nice reminder of all the experiences we’ve had together,” Cohen says, “both for him and me.”

When prepping for his daughter’s arrival,Aaron Morrison, a reporter at AP News, insisted on putting two diaper bags in the registry. “I worried that I would fall into the habit of relying solely on my wife to stock the diaper bag with all the essentials,” he says. Now, he relies on this diaper bag from Azaria, which has lots of interior and exterior pockets for storing his daughter’s essentials. “Beyond diapers, wipes, burp cloths, and changes of clothes, I regularly refresh the bag with toys, pacifiers, formula, and other things to make all daddy-daughter outings go smoothly,” he says. “Now, the only problem is my wife likes my diaper bag better than hers.”

When he became a father,Kevin Peter Wilsongrew even more intentional about his wardrobe. “I don’t want to sacrifice wearing the clothes I love because I’m worried they will get a stain or they’re uncomfortable for playtime, but I also don’t want to sacrifice having as much fun with my daughter,” he says. His middle ground is clothes that let him move easily and that come in dark shades. His favorite T-shirt is this heavyweight cotton one from Front General Store. It has a slightly boxy silhouette and is designed to hold up to many washes without losing its shape.

One category that kept coming up among dads I talked to was products and tools that help them bond with their kids. For content creator and writerTimm Chiusano, that’s YouTube. “It’s common ground with my daughter,” he says. “The ability to talk about specifics, such as consistency of uploads and whom she’s watching, like Safiya Nygaard or PrestonPlayz, and why. It helps me understand a bit more about what she’s interested in.”

For staying connected to his granddaughter, who lives in L.A., George Corsillo loves rolls of receipt paper. “We draw and paste and add stickers and all kinds of artwork to a long area, then send it to our granddaughter,” he says. “She then adds all her art and collage to it, rolls it back up, and repeats the mailing — back and forth.” The snail-mail element adds suspense. “The anticipation keeps us connected,” he adds.

It’s easy to get lost in the endless scroll, but authorAndrew Borygasays the Brick helps. This nifty device temporarily removes distracting apps and notifications, which he says helps him stay present with his kids when they’re home. “Despite how intense toddlers can be, there are also a lot of moments of downtime during the day — when they’re lost in play on their own or flopping around in the tub. My nature during these instances is to check my phone, but Brick helps me stop and remain present, which, at the end of the day, is what most kids really want.”

“There are so many instances when a museum membership has saved my ass without forcing me to drop a ton of cash in the process,” says Boryga, who often takes his kids to museums on weekends and rainy days. “Entrances these days to the zoo, the science museum, or the children’s museum run up to $100 or more for a family of four like mine. A membership usually costs just as much but pays for itself if you visit these places more than once.” His favorite is the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, a short drive from Miami, where he lives. “Kind of slept on but worth it,” he says. “Tons of stuff for the kids to do, including an Imax theater where they screen fun documentaries, special themed rooms, and a big outdoor area for them to play in.”

Tattoo artistAbhishek Bonnerjeesays he has been playing this acoustic guitar from Taylor Academy for his daughter, Sunny, since she was in the womb. It helped keep her calm during infancy and now, at 18 months, it gets her to dance. “Most mornings, she goads me into Beatles covers. She loves ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,’ a dark choice,” he says.

Bonnerjee also likes to play records on this turntable from Sonos, which he pairs with these Kanto YU4 speakers. “Sometimes when she’s cranky, we’ll put a record on — the whole process makes it feel like a special event, which lifts her spirits,” he says. “These days, we’re spinningPromise,by Sade, she’s really into ‘The Sweetest Taboo.’”

Another thing Bonnerjee likes to do with Sunny is cook. They tend to batch-cook meals using this Staub Dutch oven, which we previously named our best-overall pick. “She’s curious and wants to watch and smell everything that’s going into the pot,” he says.